New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office warns about roadside solicitor scams
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — You’ve likely seen roadside solicitors before, collecting money for people in need. But law enforcement wants you to be careful before opening your heart and wallet.
On Friday, New Hanover County Sheriff Deputies went to a busy intersection in Monkey Junction where they saw a group of people soliciting for money.
The group was sporting orange hats, vests, and badges, with the words ‘donation’ on them, asking motorists to donate to benefit the children on their signs.
They did not provide sheriff deputies with proof of a permit to solicit money and were advised to leave the location. “What they were showing was a baby in the hospital with cancer, reflective vests on. We confronted them, they were not able to produce any documentation that they knew of anyone in the hospital and knew the person in the sign,” Lt. Jerry Brewer, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, said.
Earlier this week in South Carolina, the North Charleston Police Department posted a warning on Facebook about a “Save Kids” group that is looking for donations to help kids with brain cancer, a bone marrow transplant and other treatments. North Charleston PD said they were looking into the organization, and asked the public to not donate to them at this time. Another group holding similar signs was standing at the intersection of Oleander Drive and College Road. They began to quickly leave when they saw one of our reporters. They asked the solicitors for a comment in multiple languages, regarding who they were raising money for and they declined to comment multiple times.
New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to be cautious when choosing to give money to roadside solicitors. “It’s tough because scammers tend to try and pull at your heart strings. It’s difficult when they do, because people are generally giving, and want to help people and unfortunately people take advantage of that. So, just be mindful if you’re going to give money away, it may have the potential for being a scam,” Lt. Brewer said.
The City of Wilmington and New Hanover County both have ordinances prohibiting people from soliciting from drivers on public streets.
